Like the Burning Embers
by WriteToEscapeReality1309
Summary: Kelsey's friend is in love with TVD and finally convinces her to watch the show. One night, she decides to start the newest season alone, but a terrible accident happens, and she wakes up to find herself stuck in The Vampire Diaries universe and as Elena's sister as well. To top it off with a cherry and whipped cream, she can't remember what goes on in the earlier seasons either.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

_"So, you're not coming over?"_ Kelsey asked her friend over the phone.

_"Sorry, but I have to study for an exam tomorrow,"_ he replied.

Turning on her television, she laughed,_ "John Gary Wilson, when have you ever chosen to study over watching Vampire Diaries? I mean, you're the one who got me addicted to this show in the first place! Come on, get your ass here before I drive to wherever the hell you are and get you back home myself."_

Johnny sighed,_ "Kels, this is an important exam and if I don't pass it, I may not graduate high school. I'm sorry, but I can't go to your house tonight to see the season premiere."_

_"Fine, I'll tell you if Elena turns into a vampire or not as soon as I know, 'kay?"_ the brunette gave up persuading her best friend.

_"Thanks, and you better tell me 'cause I'm dying to know,"_ he said and hung up.

Tuning to the CW channel, Kelsey sat on the couch and waited for the two hour long movie to end so The Vampire Diaries could start. She tried to keep her eyes from closing but after staying up until five in the morning last night to finish her five-page essay for her History class, it was a miracle that she didn't go to sleep in class today, and right now, with the extremely boring movie and wrapped in her cozy blanket with the all the lights turned off, except for a scented candle that made her living room smell like the Caribbean Sea, she felt the need to take at least a twenty-minute nap, meanwhile the movie ended.

What she didn't know, was that the curtains had caught on fire from the flame of the candle that stood too close to them. Being in a deep slumber, Kelsey didn't smell the burnt odor that the smoke was giving off. The bright flames expanded, devouring everything they touched, and soon the couch was on fire, she turning in her sleep, her half-conscious mind knowing that something was wrong and trying to wake her up.

Sweat began to trickle down her forehead from the heat and when The Vampire Diaries began, she finally woke up, coughing as the smoke entered her lungs and burned her insides. There was a moment were everything in her head went blank and she just stared, wide-eyed, at the red-orange flames that burned her blanket, before standing up and frantically trying to get rid of the flames on her shirt.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God!" she cried out as the crackling flames of the fire surrounded her, burning her skin, and an intense agony cursed through her body.

She screamed and wailed, the fire blazing merrily as it ate her up. Kelsey stumbled back into the wall, causing the television to fall and hit her head. The last thing she remembered seeing was an eery ray of white light before she succumbed to a vast darkness.

**A/N: So this is my second attempt at a story like this. Yeah, my first one didn't work out so well, but I promise that I won't ever delete this one like the other one. That is if you guys like it and want me to continue writing it. **

**This is a Stefan/OC/Damon, because, honestly, I'm indecisive about which brother I should pair her up with, since I'm not into the season 4 or 5 Damon but I love him in the earlier seasons, and from season three onwards, my love for Stefan is the strongest. So yeah, I'm being an Elena right now, but I promise you the time will come when Kelsey will decide and it won't take an eternity like Elena is taking. **

**Anyway, please leave a review so I can know what your thoughts are and if I should continue this story. And if you want to know, I picture Kelsey as Lily Collins. Thank you so much for reading and hopefully you liked the prologue! :)**


	2. Pilot part 1

Chapter 1:

I awoke with a jolt from my bed, my shirt clinging to my sweaty skin, and I let out a deep breath. It was just a dream, I thought as I looked around my room. It was now morning and the sun's rays light up the place with such warmness that made me want to go back to sleep.

Looking at the clock, I laid my head on the soft pillow and let my eyes close for five more minutes.

Just when I was about to fall back to sleep, there was a knock on the door. Must be John coming to yell at me for missing The Vampire Diaries last night, I thought as I muffled out, "Come in!"

"Come on Kelsey, wake up. It's the first day of school. You don't want to be late, do you?"

I opened my eyes at the sound of the girl's familiar voice and I turned around slowly to face her. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed, Nina Dobrev looking back at me with confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked, walking towards me.

I blinked once and then a second time before finally saying, "Y-you . . . Are you_ real_?"

Nina became worried and touched my forehead while I was too shocked to even react to her touch. Seeing that I was not running a fever, she asked, "Are you drunk?"

"Oh my God, Nina Dobrev is asking me if I'm drunk!" I started to hyperventilate. "Am I dreaming? I have to be. Ohmygod, oh my god. Mom? Mom!"

"What are you talking about? Kelsey, calm down," she told me and I nodded, trying to get a grip. "It's me, Elena, your sister."

Elena? As-as in Gilbert? Oh my God, is this a prank? I looked around the room but there seemed to be no hidden cameras. Where am I? Either I'm going crazy or I'm in The Vampire Diaries. No, I'm crazy all right.

However, Elena continued with a slight laugh, "Darn it, Kels, you must've drank the whole six-pack to be this wasted."

"It's not funny," I blurted out on impulse.

Actually, everything about this situation was funny. Not to mention, scary and weird as hell, too. I mean, I've read several fanfics about something like this happening, but to actually be in The Vampire Diaries? I was surprised I was even capable of talking right now, much less accepting the fact that _the_ Elena Gilbert was _my_ _sister_.

"Yeah," she sighed and stood up. Before she closed the door, she added, "Get dressed. Bonnie and I'll be waiting downstairs."

* * *

I was riding shotgun with Bonnie driving and Elena took the backseat while Bonnie said, "So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already!"

Elena shrugged and smiled while I pitched in, "It could be true, Bonnie. I mean, why tell you that in the first place?"

She gawked at me, "You don't _actually_ believe her, right?"

I just shrugged, thinking, Boy, Bonnie Bennett are you in for a big surprise. "I don't know. I think it'll be pretty cool if you were one, though."

Bonnie seemed to think about it, "I guess so. You know, I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands." She stopped, and looked at Elena through the rear-view mirror, "Elena! Back in the car."

She looked away from the cemetery and to Bonnie, "I did it again, didn't I? I-I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that. . ."

"That I'm physic now," she looked at me with a playful smile on her lips.

"Right. Okay, then predict something." Elena looked at me with a smile and she turned to Bonnie, "How about giving Kels here a little insight about her future?"

I shook my head almost immediately. If I was in The Vampire Diaries, best shot was that my future wouldn't be the brightest. "Oh no. I can barely deal with my present." I meant that. Being a character in a TV show wasn't easy to process and I was still half-freaked out and half-fangirling about the situation. "I think I'm better off without needing to worry about my future, thank you."

"Oh, come on," Elena nudged me with her elbow, "You're taking this too seriously." Turning to Bonnie, she proceeded, "Bon, please, tell us what you see."

With her hands on the wheel, Bonnie narrowed her eyes and started, "I see. . ."

The three of us let out a sharp gasp when something hit the windshield, causing Bonnie to whirl the steering-wheel and stopped just in time to prevent the car from crashing into a lamp post.

"What was that?! Oh, my god! Elena? Kels? Are guys okay?" Bonnie looked at both of us, wide-eyed and shaking.

Looking at me, Elena nodded, "Yeah, we're fine."

"What was that?" I asked, breathing heavily. It had been a long time since I saw the first season of the show, being that I only saw each season once and I had a bad memory most of the time.

"I don't know. I-it was like a bird or something," Bonnie replied. "I'm sorry, it came out nowhere."

Elena grabbed her hand reassuringly, "It's okay, Bon, really. We can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of our lives."

I stared at her, hiding my confused expression. What did she mean by we? Wasn't Elena the one in the car crash? Realizing that I had been in the car crash with her and her- well, our- parents, I sighed. Great, it's just like in the fanfictions. Next thing I know, I'm going to have a doppelganger too. Oh crap, I hope that doesn't happen. I really don't want to be part of the freaking sacrifice. Okay, Kelsey, calm down. Chill. Take a deep breath, you're over-thinking things again. Just go with the flow and take it one step at a time.

"I predict this year is going to be kick ass," Bonnie told me and I smiled in return. "And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy."

* * *

Walking the halls of Mystic Falls High School was seriously one of the highlights of my life! I still couldn't believe this was happening. Everything was so surreal but incredible.

While I looked around the place, Bonnie talked about the students walking by, and Elena felt more guilty about breaking up with her childhood friend, Matt, by the minute.

"He hates me," she finally said.

Trust me, Elena, you won't be feeling sorry for yourself once you meet Stefan Salvatore, I laughed on the inside.

Bonnie closed her locker and told her, "That's not hate. That's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits'."

I turned my back and glanced at him. Then, I looked at Elena with a nod, "She's right, you shouldn't feel bad for yourself. Some things are not meant to be, you know."

"Thanks, Kels," she sent me a warm smile before a certain blonde came in high heels came our way.

Oh, my god, Elena, Kels! How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you," The bubbly teenager hugged them before pulling back and asking Bonnie, "How are they? Are they good?"

I let Elena do the talking since I was too shocked about just being hugged by Caroline Forbes, who I adored by the way. Well, I'll admit, at first she was just annoying, but then she grew on me once she became a vampire. And now that I'm in The Vampire Diaries, I can make Klaroline happen. Yes! That is, if I don't die before season three.

"Well, I see you guys later, okay?" Caroline smiled before hugging us one last time and leaving.

Elena and Bonnie exchanged looks before my 'sister' shook her head, "No comment."

Bonnie chuckled and looked at me. I rose my hands innocently, and said, "I'm not saying anything."

"Yeah, me neither," she agreed. "Let's go before the bells ring." We followed Bonnie to our class but she suddenly stopped at the front office's entrance. "Hold up. Who's this?"

I took in a deep breath. Before my eyes stood none other than _the_ Stefan Salvatore. "Oh. My. God," I let out at last.

"All I see is back," Elena said.

"That's a hot back," added Bonnie and she chuckled.

Getting a glance of her little brother, Elena said, "I'll be right back," and headed to the men's restroom.

"Please be hot," muttered Bonnie, and as if on cue, Stefan turned to face the two of us.

Bonnie stared at him while I managed to look anywhere but his face. I don't know, but I felt like if I looked at him, I would just faint on the spot. And of course, I didn't want to draw any attention by being 'the girl who passed out on the middle of a hallway because she saw a hot vampire who was supposed to be a fictional character but wasn't, due to the fact that she was stuck in a freaking tv show because of reasons'.

Okay, breathe, Kelsey. Breathe. God, did I need to stop freaking out in public. It was a wonder no one had noticed yet.

* * *

Turns out Dick Tanner was a bigger douche than what he seemed to act in television. I could literally hear the blah's coming out of his mouth as he taught the lesson. I mean, what kind of teacher _teaches_ on the first day of school? Well, apparently, Mr. Tanner did.

Sitting in front of Stefan, I shifted uncomfortably while I felt his eyes on me. My face grew hot, realizing that he was staring at me and not Elena.

Oh my god, what am I supposed to do now. Do I turn around? Or continue to stare at the green chalkboard? Maybe I'm supposed to pretend that I'm listening to Tanner's lesson? Ahh, somebody help!

Like an angel sent from Heaven, which was certainly a miracle by the way, Mr. Tanner decided to pick one me, "Miss Gilbert, what is two times two?"

However, his question threw me of course, since he was a History teacher and not a Math one, so I blurted it out, "Balls!"

Luckily, the bell rang and all the laughing students were released from History class. I gathered my books before Tanner decided to give me detention on the first day of school, and let out a sigh, feeling my cell phone vibrate in my pocket.

It was Elena, sending me a text message:** Hawt-e was staring at you. ;)**

Freaking out and blushing, I texted back: **That doesn't mean anything, Lena.**

With that, I put my phone away and shook my head.

No, it didn't mean anything. Stefan liked Elena, not me. I was _not_ going to mess with the TV show's plot line like in the stories I've read. As soon as school ended, I was going to go home and stay with Jenna.

How could I mess with the plot if I wasn't interacting with the characters, right?

I just hoped my plan worked.

**A/N: Yay, I got reviews! Thank you so much all of you who have read/favorited/followed/reviewed on the prologue! So, as promised, here is part uno of the Pilot episode. There will be three parts to this episode and I'll make sure to let you know which parts are 3rd person but for the moment, the story is told by Kelsey, my OC. Which is the only thing I own by the way! **

**Um, I'm trying my best to get caught up with my other stories, especially "The Other Side", so this one will be updating probably by the 18th of October, but no later than that, I promise. Again, thanks a bunch for reviewing! **

**Hopefully, you lovelies have enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review to let me know what you think of it so far? Oh, also, should Kelsey have a doppelganger, too? I'm still not certain if I should do that, so your opinion mean the world to me. **

**Kelsey's outfits are on my Polyvore account (link to it on my profile page) if you want to check them out! **

**Well, I hope you all have a great day/night! :)**


	3. Pilot Part 2

Chapter 2:

Hearing groans and irritated sighs coming from Elena's room, I knocked gently on the door before asking, "Lena, you alright?"

"No. I need help," she admitted and I came in.

Her room was just like in the show, but with me standing there, it seem bigger and prettier.

"Whoa," I let out, looking around the room and not believing that I was actually in Elena's room.

Not noticing my fangirling expression, Elena added, referring to her bleeding injury, "Yeah, it's not pretty." Facing me, she asked, "Can you bandage it, please? I'm having trouble with holding the gauze in place while trying to wrap this thing around my leg."

I nodded and took the bandage roll from her, "Of course. Anything for Miss Gilbert. Would you mind my asking, how did the Miss get injured in the first place?"

She laughed at me joking around, "I was in the cemetery and I saw this- this creepy bird."

"Ah, very Hitchcock there, eh?"

Elena smiled, agreeing, "Yeah, but there was this fog that seem to have come out of nowhere. . . And I started to leave, you know, 'cause it was getting weird, but when I turned around- I could've sworn there was someone following me."

"So you began to run, and being the clumsy fool that you are, you tripped and got hurt," I finished with a smile on my lips.

She frowned, "You're done yet?"

"Yeah, I'm done." I looked at the patched up knee and gave it a pat, she wincing in return.

"Ow, that hurts."

I got up and smiled, "You're welcome."

* * *

After Elena had persuaded me to come to the Grill with her, I had a change of clothes, and went downstairs.

There, I found Elena and Stefan talking at the front door.

My breathing stopped for a second as Stefan glanced at me from behind Elena, but I managed to smile, "Hey. Stefan, right?"

He smiled in return and gave a short nod while Elena added, "He's in History with us."

"Oh." There was a pause before I asked him, "Um, Elena and I are going to the Grill to meet up with a few friends. Would you like to come with us?"

Stefan looked at Elena with that weird look that he always gave her in the pilot episode and smiled, "Yeah, that would be great."

I clasped my hands together, "Okay, then, let's go."

Elena closed the door and Stefan followed us to the car, I driving to the Mystic Grill with excitement.

* * *

To be excited was an understatement, I was beyond fangirling at the moment and it took everything in me to calm down and not make a fool of myself. I mean, _the_ Mystic Grill was my favorite hangout in Mystic Falls and being able to sit at one of the tables and order some fries while the cast of The Vampire Diaries sat around me was unbelievable.

Oh, how would I have wished Johnny were here with me to experience this.

Soon enough, the scene from the Pilot where Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena got to meet Stefan unfolded before my very own eyes.

Caroline was the first one to speak, "So, you were born in Mystic Falls?"

Stefan nodded, "Mm-Hmm. And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie inquired.

"My parents passed away," he said and looked at Elena.

Feeling the need to say something, the brunette spoke, "I'm sorry. Any siblings?"

My heart stopped at those words. How could I've forgotten about Damon? Suddenly, being in Mystic Falls didn't seem so exciting anymore. In fact, it scared me.

Nobody noticed me trying to keep calm as Stefan continued, "None that I talk to. I live with my uncle."

"So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow," Caroline pitched in with certain jealousy to her tone.

Bonnie smiled and added, "It's a back to school thing at the falls."

Stefan was still looking at Elena, "Are you going?"

There was a hesitant look on her face, so I answered, "Trust me, she'll be there. Right, Elena?"

Elena tried to hide the blush on her cheeks as she nodded, "Right."

The whole conversation was amazing and I was so pumped to be going to the bonfire tomorrow night that I had a hard time sleeping when Elena and I went home, and just like that, I had forgotten all about Damon too.

* * *

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls," Mr. Tanner gave his lesson the next day. Looking at Bonnie, who was doodling on her journal, he asked, "How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?"

Taken by surprise, Bonnie lifted her head and said, "Um . . . a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett," he scowled. Seeing Matt smiling, he directed, "Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

The blonde leaned back in his chair and said, "It's ok, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."

"Hmm. Kelsey? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?" he said and it took me a second to realize that he was looking at me.

Oh shit. I looked around for any help, but Elena just smiled at me, leaving me to fend for myself. Nervously, I gave Tanner a smile and said, "I, uh . . ."

Think, Kels, think. Was it 634? Or 356? I think it was 364. Yeah, that one had a nice ring to it. But then again . . . Erg, what was the stupid answer?!

The teacher stared at me with a pressuring look and I blurted out, "364 casualties, sir. Unless you're counting the local civilians, of course."

Mr. Tanner took a step back and nodded, "Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."

I sighed, was this man ever content with anything? I'd answer the question right, what else did he want? I full on report with extreme details about the damn historical event?

That's when Stefan decided to speak up and correct him, "Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

The class snickered at this while Mr. Tanner tried to act cool, "Hmm."

'Thanks', I mouthed to Stefan and he returned the gesture with a smile as the bell rang and we were dismissed from class.

* * *

I came up to Bonnie and Elena after getting my bottle of beer. I didn't drink, but after all that I was going through, I deserved at least one beer.

"So," I made a face at the taste of the beer going down my throat, and continued, "where's Romeo, Juliet?"

Elena became flushed at my words. Knowing that I was talking about Stefan, she stammered, "I-I don't know. Why would I want to know, anyway?"

"Oh, come on, admit it. You like him," I teased, taking another swing of my beer.

Bonnie pitched in, "Yeah, he has that romance novel stare." Then, she mocked, "'And he looked right into her eyes, piercing her very soul'."

We all laughed a bit and Elena admitted, "Oh, ok, so he's a little pretty."

"Where is he anyway?" Bonnie asked, looking around.

Lena shrugged, "I don't know. You tell me, you're the psychic one."

"Right, I forgot. Ok, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

Elena held up a finger, looking around for something, "Wait. You need a crystal ball."

I handed out my beer bottle, offering, "Here, take this."

Bonnie looked at me and at the glass bottle, smiling. But that smile faded when she brushed her fingers against my hand.

"What is it Bonnie?" I asked, scared of her blank expression.

"Bonnie." Elena spoke her name with concern before the witch returned back to normal and pulled back her hand.

"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow," she started.

Elena and I exchanged glances and I told her, "A crow?"

Bonnie nodded, "There was fog, a man. I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill."

"Bonnie, no. Wait," Elena went after her, leaving me alone to wonder about what she'd said.

A crow? I've haven't seen a crow, nor fog. Elena had seen it at the cemetery, including the fog and a man. Bonnie must have been mistaken or something.

Too lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed Stefan in front of me and I jumped when he said hi.

"Hey," I smiled back.

"I scared you, didn't I?" he asked, seeing the look on my face.

"No- I mean, yes, but I was already-" I stopped and looked at him to see a questioning expression on his features. "You know what, how 'bout we go look for Elena? She wanted to see you earlier."

"Yeah, sure," he nodded and we went to look for my sis.

* * *

While we searched for her, we conversed. I said, "You know, you're kind of the talk of the town."

"Oh yeah?" Stefan looked at me with a bit of surprise.

I chuckled as we walked, "Oh yes. Mysterious new guy, Italian, and not to mention, wealthy. You're the closest thing we have to a celebrity."

He laughed, "Italian? What gave it away?"

In my worst Italian accent, I replied, "Salvatore." Stefan laughed again, and I came to figure out that I liked his laugh. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. In my normal voice, I added, "Doesn't Salvatore mean savior or something?"

"Yes, it does," he replied with a short nod, but then his head dropped and the smile on his lips disappeared, "it's pretty ironic, actually."

I stopped to turn to look at him and said with seriousness, "Why do you say that?"

But before he could answer, I saw Elena wave at us and coming our way.

"Well, there goes Elena. I'll leave you two to talk," I smiled and left them alone.

* * *

It was all going well at the bonfire. Bonnie was talking to Matt and some other friends while a drunk Caroline introduced me to some boys. They were all in the football team and some of them were friendly, but I wasn't really interested in anything after hearing a distant cry coming from the woods.

Getting a sick feeling, I excused myself from the crowd and headed for the dark woods. Something bad had happened, I could feel it in my stomach. And even though I encountered a few couples kissing against the trees, chills went down my spine.

The deeper I went into the forest, the colder it was, and I found myself shivering although I wore a black coat over a long-sleeve shirt.

Suddenly, I got a weird sense of déjà vu and I realized that this was an actual scene in the show. It was where Vicky was attacked by- There was a loud caw and I turned around, heart hammering against my chest as I spoke out into the darkness, "W-who's there?" Another sound. This time it was the beating of wings that filled my ears.

I was about to return to the party when, in a blink of an eye, a big, black crow appeared out of nowhere. I gasped and began to run, tripping over a tree's root. I winced, looking at my scratched hands covered in twigs and dried leaves, and wiped them off on my jeans. All of a sudden, there was fog everywhere and I held my breath while I sat still on the damp earth.

Bonnie hadn't been wrong, after all. She had just seen my future, while I thought it was Elena's past that she had seen.

It all happened so fast. One moment, I was laying on the ground and the next, I was running away from the crow that kept pecking my flesh off with its sharp and pointed beak.

Tears filled my eyes as I ran to nowhere in particular, I just wanted to get away from him. It had been him all along and I had been stupid to forget about Damon and his crow.

But why was he following me? Was I supposed to be Vicky? Oh God, I hope not. I didn't want to get my throat ripped open by a vampire. Not now, not ever.

The adrenaline rushed through my body and I ran faster, but the crow wouldn't go away and finally, he caught up to me. My body crashed into his extremely firm chest, shaking with fear as he grabbed me by the chin and willed me to look into his cold blue eyes. I screamed a spine-chilling scream that was sure to be heard by the someone in the party as it echoed throughout the forest.

There was no doubt it was Damon, as the vampire showed his fangs and let out an inhuman growl as he was about to sink them into my neck.

I closed my eyes, preparing for the sharp pain that his fangs would cause but it never came.

Instead, Jeremy was heard calling out Vicky's name, followed by Elena's voice.

There was a gust of wind and I opened my teary eyes to see that Damon was gone, and for the first time, I noticed Vicky's body on the ground.

The side of her neck was covered in blood and if I looked closely, there was a bite mark on her throat that could have been mistaken for an animal's bite, but I knew better.

"Kels?" Elena asked, Jeremy by her side.

"Oh my God, it's Vicky!" he let out, going over to where she laid.

"What happened? Is she okay? Are _you_ okay?" Elena gave me a kick hug, looking at my bleeding hands and arms.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I nodded, breathing heavily and letting tears fall from my eyes. "I don't know about Vicky. She was already like this when I got here."

I looked at her as Jeremy pressed two fingers against he neck. Vicky sat up with a gasp, eyes wide with terror.

* * *

Everything was okay. As okay as things could get in a town with supernatural creatures, anyway. Vicky had gone to the hospital and I was fine, except for some scratches here and there and the pecks the crow had given me.

Right now, I was washing the blood off my wounds and as I looked at my reflection on the mirror, I realized that I was shaking.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I let them fall as I thought about Bonnie's words right after Jenna had picked us up from the bonfire.

"There's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling. . . that it's just the beginning," she had said to Elena and me.

And it was true, something evil was coming to Mystic Falls, if it wasn't here already, and I was going to take part in it.

**A/N: Since I got so many reviews on the last chapter, I decided to finish this episode off already and give you a more lengthy chap. Seriously, guys, the amount of reviews I've got was just unbelievable! I love y'all so much, please keep the love coming! **

**As you can see, I had Kels 'meet' Damon a bit early because, let's face it, all of us would at least be injured by a vampire in the first episode if we ended up in TVD. This scene is ********certainly** going to establish the relationship between Damon and Kelsey in future episodes, but not all. ;) And just in case you were wondering, no, Kelsey doesn't have a doppelganger that the Salvatore brothers are aware of. That's why I didn't write out the scene between Damon and Stefan at the end, since it stayed the same as in the actual episode.  


**Kelsey's outfits are on my Polyvore account (link to it on my profile page) if you want to check them out! **

**Again, thank you so much for reviewing, reading, adding this story to your list of favorites, or alerts. This is by far the most reviews I've gotten for a chapter and I'm so grateful to you lovelies! I hope you have a great day/night and see you next time! :)**


	4. Night of the Comet

Chapter 2:

I was reading a book at a table just outside the school after being dismissed from Mr. Tanner's class, when I looked up and saw Jeremy making his way to Tyler.

"Hey, Tyler. Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering how Vicki's doing, since you guys are so close. Is she okay?" Jeremy asked him with an angry tone to his voice.

"Oh no," I muttered, putting back the book in my bag and starting my way to the teenagers at the fence before they started a fight.

Jeremy shoved Tyler backwards and I got in between the two of them, holding up my hands to Jeremy and saying, "Hey, back up, all right? You don't want to get into fights these early into the semester, Jer, do you?"

"Get out of my way," he snapped, still looking at Tyler.

"Walk away, Gilbert. It's your final warning," he threaten, ignoring me.

I turned to him, not liking the way he was threatening Jeremy, and snapped, pointing a finger at him, "You, nobody was talking to you, so shut up." He looked taken back by my tone, as I directed to Jeremy, grabbing him by the arm, "And you, you are coming with me."

Being stronger than me, the boy shook me off and told Tyler, "No, this is your final warning, dick. I'm sick of watching you play Vicki. If you hurt her one more time, I swear to God, I will kill you."

With that, Jeremy walked away and left me behind.

"Damn, that was like a death threat," Tyler said to a girl next to him. "Did you hear that?"

"Well, maybe if you had the decency to act like a man and not like a big bag of dicks, he wouldn't have to say that, would he now?" I snapped at him one last time before I stalked off, the girls holding back their laughs at an angry Tyler behind me.

* * *

"Hey," Elena called after me, rushing beside me, "I was looking for you."

"Well, here I am. What's up?" I smiled as I walked down the newly cut grass.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, but she wanted to know more than that.

The scratches on my arms began to hurt as I remembered last night's happenings and I shook my head, "No, no, no. Elena, I already told you, I have nothing to do with Vicky getting hurt."

"I know," she said, stopping me, "but can you at least tell me what happened to _you_? I mean, you were crying and had scratches all over yourself when we found you, Kels. I've earned the right to be at least a bit concerned about that, don't you think?"

I let out a sigh, "Okay, I was walking in the woods when I heard an animal following me. So, I ran, fell a few times, and that's why I got hurt, okay?" There was a pause before I told her again, "Maybe the animal that was after me got Vicky, or something, but I swear I don't know what attacked her."

"It's okay, Kels, I believe you," she nodded. "It's just that Matt told me that when Vicky woke up last night, she muttered something about a vampire." I looked at her with a surprised expression on my face. "I know, crazy, right?"

"Yeah," I said, not meaning it. "Look, I have to pick up the copies for the Comet Festival that Caroline needs. I'll catch up with you at the Grill, okay?"

"Sure," Elena nodded before walking away.

* * *

"Okay, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already!" I heard Caroline tell Elena as I made my way to where they were seated. "It's easy. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Sex."

"How profound," Elena said as she took a sip of her water. Thinking about it, she put down her glass and got up.

Bonnie and I looked at her and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do," she said and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the table.

"Wait, at least let me give Caroline the pamphlets," she let go of my arm and I handed Bonnie and Care the papers. Turning to Elena, I asked, "Where are we going anyway?"

"You'll see," she smiled, dragging me with her. "Come on."

* * *

"Oh my God, Elena no," I shook my head as she made her way to the door.

"What?" She turned around to look at me and motioned, "Get over here."

I looked at the big Boarding House before me and gulped, feeling scared and nervous about being there. Crossing my arms over my chest, I said, "I think I'll wait here, thanks. " She shook her head at me and pulled the old red rope to ring the bell. After no one answered, I urged, "See, Stefan's not home. Now, let's go."

"Why are you so scared? It's not like the place is haunted or anything, come on," she pulled me by the arm and I stood beside her as she knocked on the door instead.

It slowly creaked open and I held her back as she was about to enter.

"What?" she snapped, not angry but annoyed.

"We shouldn't be barging in, Elena. Why don't we come later, when Stefan's here?" I said.

She ignored me and went inside, calling, "Stefan? Stefan?"

We looked around the enormous Victorian-style place and I finally said, "Is it just me, or are you getting this scary-movie-creepy vibe too?"

Elena shushed me, looking around the house in amazement. Suddenly, I heard something like a door creaking and I turned around to leave, "Hey, I give up. If you want to stay here and roam around, fine, but I'm walking home, Elena."

There was a loud caw and a crow came flying to my face. I let out a gasp and turned to face a black shirt. Almost immediately, I stepped away from the muscular chest and looked up to see Damon staring at me like he had the night before.

My hands started to shake and my breath caught in my throat as Elena said, "We're sorry for barging in. The door was. . .," she turned to face the now closed door, "open."

"You must be Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother," he introduced himself.

Elena glanced at me and then at him, saying, "Stefan didn't tell me he had a brother."

He smirked, "Well, Stefan's not one to brag. Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second."

I looked at the exit door longingly before Elena grabbed me to the the living room with Damon.

"Wow. This is your living room?" she asked.

"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste," he replied. "I see why my brother's so smitten. It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

Elena looked at him with a questioning look, "The last one?"

"Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend? Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet," he realized.

"Nope," she sighed.

"Oops. Well, I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end."

"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end," Elena told him.

He shrugged, "I'm a fatalist." Not looking away from Elena, he spoke, "Hello, Stefan."

We both turned to look at Stefan, "Elena, Kelsey, I didn't know you were coming over."

I shook my head and started toward him, "No, um, we were just l-"

Damon interrupted me, addressing me for the first time since he got here, "Oh, don't be silly. You're welcome any time. Aren't they, Stefan?"

Stefan gave him an intense glare that scared me before Damon turned to Elena who was too caught up by Damon's charm to even notice the way Stefan was looking at his brother, "You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But, I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker."

Elena giggled at this while I looked more uncomfortable by the moment, and I could tell that Stefan noticed my nervous behavior too.

Looking at Damon, he said to us, "Thank you for stopping by, Elena, Kelsey. Nice to see you."

Taking this as a sign to leave, I told Elena,"Yeah, we should get going. Come on, 'Lena."

She looked at me and then at Damon, "It was nice to meet you, Damon."

"Great meeting you, too, Elena," he gave her a peck on her hand and a small smile before we left.

* * *

**_Third P.O.V_**

"Whoo. Great gals, they got spunk. You, on the other hand, look pooped. Did you over-exert yourself today? Let me guess . . . hospital," Damon said as Stefan walked away from the door way and into the living room.

With his back turned to Damon, he pointed out, "Someone had to clean up your mess."

"Well, were you successful? Did the powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don't feed properly, none of those little tricks work right," he said with a smirk.

Ignoring Damon's words, Stefan turned around and asked, "How long were Elena and Kelsey here?"

"Are you worried Stefan?" It was a rhetorical question. "Scared that I might rip Kelsey's throat off, or that we're doomed to repeat the past? Isn't that why you play your little game, 'I'm a high school human'?"

"I'm not playing any game," Stefan said with seriousness.

"Of course you are," his brother gave him a little smirk before walking over to his side. Damon whispered into his ear, Stefan remaining still, "We both know the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and feed on it."

He turned his head slightly to face Damon and with a low voice he asked, "What kind of game are you playing, Damon?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" he replied with a wide smirk and left the room.

* * *

_**Kelsey's P.O.V**_

I was putting ice cream into my bowl as Elena talked about our visit to the Boarding House with Jenna, "He's on the rebound and has raging family issues."

With an apple in her hands, the strawberry-blonde shrugged, "Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues."

We both smiled as I grabbed the chocolate syrup from Elena and poured it all over my vanilla ice cream.

A stoned Jeremy entered the house and Jenna demanded, "Jeremy? Jeremy, where were you?"

He rushed up the stairs but stopped to say, "More stoner stories? Look, Jenna, I get it, you were cool. And so that's . . . that's cool."

Seeing that the speech from earlier today didn't get through to him, she said angrily, "Oh, no, no, no, no!"

Jeremy felt the apple hit his back and he turned around, "Ow! Why? Why . . . why did you do that?"

Jenna lifted her hands up in and 'I don't know' way and told him sternly, "Listen up! Quit ditching class or you're grounded. No discussion."

"Parental authority, I like it," he smiled. Giving her a thumbs up, Jeremy said, "Sleep tight," before going up the stairs.

With a confused expression, Aunt Jenna turned to us.

"Don't worry about it, Aunt Jenna. I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later," I gave her a smile and offered her my ice cream.

She took a bite out of it and nodded, "Thanks, Kels."

* * *

It was the night of the Comet Festival and all of the town square was filled with people lighting their candles with one another. So far, it was going great. I was having a good time talking to Caroline, Bonnie, and Matt while Stefan and Elena had a chat of their own.

I noticed Matt taking glances every few minutes as the couple talked and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. And it was even worse when I remembered that his sister was going to die.

I shook my head, driving the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to get teary eyed, so I quickly excused myself from the group to go to the restroom before anybody noticed this.

Washing down the soap on my hands, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The pecks the crow had given me were fading away and I pulled my wavy hair back so I could splash water on my face.

Feeling like someone was watching me, I turned around and saw that no one was there, and shook my head. I'm paranoid, that's all, I told myself as I turned to turn off the water faucet. Looking up at the mirror, I let out a scream as Damon stood behind me with baring fangs ready to puncture my throat.

* * *

"Ohmygod, no! Please, don't drop me," I half-sobbed half-screamed as I stood at the edge of a tall building's rooftop.

Damon had his hand tightly around my arm as he threatened to let me go. I could've done something- anything- to get away from him but I was too weak from the blood that he drained from me.

Tears ran down my face, as Damon whispered into my ear teasingly, "Shh, I'm not going to drop you."

"Then let her go," Stefan's voice was demanding as Damon faced him.

"Not bad," he smirked, acknowledging the way Stefan was able to jump up to the rooftop, "have you been eating bunnies."

Stefan took a step closer and said, "Let her go."

"Really? Okay," Damon shrugged and I widened my eyes in fear as he pushed me to the opposite end of the rooftop.

Seeing that I was about to fall, Stefan held out his hands and told his brother, "No, no no no!"

"Relax," Damon let go of me and shoved me to Stefan, where I fell on the concrete. "I don't need her to be dead but . . . you might."

I let out a sob as my hand reached up to touch my bloody opened wound on my neck and I looked up to Damon with fearful eyes.

"What attacked you the other night?" he asked me.

Fear turned into anger as I remembered the crow chasing me in the woods. Finding my voice, I shouted at him, "A crow- _your_ crow! _You_ did this to me!"

"Wrong! It was Stefan." Damon smirked, picking me up from the ground and looked into my eyes as Stefan told him to stop, "Stefan Salvatore did this to you."

I tried to fight the compulsion but it was too strong, so I nodded, repeating, "Stefan Salvatore did this to me."

More tears fell from my eyes as he compelled me, "He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster." The raven-head vampire brushed my hair to the side, exposing the vampire bite, and threw me to his brother, "If you couldn't fix it before, I don't know what you can do now."

Stefan caught me in his arms and I noticed the hungry look on his face as he stared into my bleeding neck. His nostrils flared, inhaling the sweet scent of my blood and he tried to fight his hunger as Damon continued to speak, "Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlor tricks is nothing compared to the power that you could have, that you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you have two choices. You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming 'vampire' through the town square. "

"Stefan," I mustered out his name in a shaky but somehow calmed tone. His face had transformed and I could see the red in his eyes and the dark-red veins under his eyes while he took deep breaths, "it's okay. I-I'm not scared. Not of you."

Damon might have compelled me to think that Stefan was a bloodthirsty vampire but he never told me to be scared of him. He looked at me and I could see specks of green in those blood-shot eyes as he regained control over his hunger. Slowly, he let go of me and told Damon, "That's what this is about? You want to expose me?"

A frustrated Damon said, "No! I want you to remember who you are!"

"Why? So what, so I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be_ brothers_ again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that_ vampires_ have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them_ chain me up_, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I'll be free of you."

Damon looked back at him with mocking surprise. Letting out a chuckle, he grabbed my arm, "Come here, sweetheart." I reluctantly watched as he bit his wrist and pressed his bleeding hand to my mouth, letting me drink his blood to heal the bite.

Damon removed his hand and I coughed out some of the blood, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand as the wound healed itself immediately. He then tried to look into my eyes but I shook my head, saying, "Don't. You're going to compel me to forget all of this and how you bit me so I won't tell anyone, aren't you? But I'm not stupid," I turned to Stefan, "your secret's save with me. I promise."

He looked at me with hesitant eyes.

I looked back at him, knowing that the moment that Damon made me forget about all that had happened in the past few days, I would become weaker than I already was, and I didn't want that. I wanted to keep those memories, no matter how frightening they were, so the next time I met with a vampire, I would be prepared. So the next time _Damon_ was around, I would know what he was capable of.

A moment passed and Stefan finally gave a nod, saying, "Thank you, Kelsey."

I didn't nod in return or say anything. I simply walked passed Damon with my head down and left the rooftop, heading home.

**A/N: You guys are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I have never gotten so many reviews in a chapter and I feel so happy right now, thank you so much! As promised, here's the entire second episode and I really hope you like it. Not much to say here, except that Kelsey's outfit are on my Polyvore (link to it on my profile) if you want to check them out. And I hope you all have a great day/night lovelies! :D**


	5. Friday Night Bites

**A/N: I want to thank all of my amazingly wonderfully awesome bunch of reviewers who have reviewed since the Prologue! Seriously, you guys are sooo amazing! And a special shout-out to all of those who left me such kind and heart-warming reviews on the previous chapter: B_ella(guest), Lucy Greenhill, MysticReader99, Riana Salvatore, xenocanaan,_ and last but certainly not least _grapejuice101_! **

**Now, with that said, please proceed to the fourth chapter of "Like the Burning Embers" :)**

Chapter 4:

As I walked over to the field full of cheerleaders and football players ready to practice, I prepared myself for a run, learning that there were two kinds of people in this world: those who anticipated the feeling of sore muscles in the morning and those who did not.

Stretching my legs and arms, I damned all vampires on Earth for being stronger than a seventeen-year-old girl and began to jog the track.

It wasn't tiring, at first, but then came the excruciating feeling of your calves' muscles tearing apart with each step as I ran full-speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stefan jogging to the field, dressed in football gear, and I stopped to look.

Matt called line up and the game started. It took me a second to see that Stefan was the wide receiver. By the end of practice, I found myself cheering for Stefan as he did a great job at playing. That is, until Tyler hit him hard enough to make him fall back onto the grass.

I winced as I watched Stefan land, and felt a bit angry at Tyler for making such a dick move. However, a small smile appeared on my face as Matt stretched out his hand to Stefan and apologized for what Tyler had done.

Seeing that practice was over, I ran my way to Stefan and asked him, "Hey, are you alright?"

Looking back at the team, he nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay."

I watched him as he pulled off his glove and popped his pinky finger back into place.

Forgetting that he had supernatural healing abilities, I nodded with a slight laugh, "Right. Sorry. I forgot you, you know, healed faster than humans."

Turning serious, he asked, "Has Damon tried to-?"

"No," I shook my head, knowing his question. "And if he does try to hurt me again, I'll be prepared." With a chuckle, I added, "Trust me, I'm not running four laps a day just for the fun of it."

That got out a laugh from him as Tanner, also the coach of the football team, called his name. I waved my hand good-bye to him, heading to Elena at the cheerleading practice with Caroline and Bonnie.

* * *

Coming home from the Grill, I found that Elena was having a little dinner party with Bonnie and Stefan.

"Hey, guys," I smiled to Stefan and Bonnie, setting down my denim jacket on a chair next to Elena.

They greeted me back, and Elena told me, "We were just talking about how well Stefan did at practice today and about Bonnie's family."

She sent me a look that said 'help me' and glanced at Bonnie, who was looking uncomfortable with Stefan being there.

Understanding the situation, I said to Bonnie, "Oh yeah, didn't your family come from a lineage of Celtic druids or something."

"My family came by way of Salem, actually," she corrected.

I smiled, letting Stefan speak, "Really? Salem witches?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I would say that's pretty cool."

"Really? Why?" Bonnie, for the first time, seemed to be interested in what he had to say and she had lost that frown on her face.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity," Stefan said, winning her over.

With great pride, Bonnie nodded with a smile, "Yeah, they are."

The doorbell rang and Elena said, "I wonder who that could be," and went to get the door.

Meanwhile, I looked at Stefan with a worried look, and we decided to also check who was at the door.

I stopped behind Stefan and held my breath for a second, seeing who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, standing next to Elena at the doorway.

"Waiting for Elena to invite me in," said Damon.

My heart beat starting to beat faster and I held out my hand, terrified that Elena was going to let the vampire in. With an urgency to my voice, I said, "No no no!" Elena looked back at me with a questioning look and I added, more calmly now, "I mean, dinner is over already. Isn't it, Stefan?"

He looked at me, seeing the fright and worry on my face that I tried to hide from everyone but him, and he nodded to Elena, "Yeah, we were . . . just finishing up."

Elena shook her head, unable to explain what was happening to Stefan and me, and directed to Damon, "It's fine. Just come on in."

Damon took a step inside the house, before fully coming in. Looking around the place, he told Elena, "You have a beautiful home, Elena."

"Thank you," she replied as Stefan and I exchanged looks.

* * *

I was at the kitchen, washing the dishes as rest of the group (including Caroline, who had come with Damon, but being in too bit of a shock, I didn't notice her coming in), trying to get as far as possible from Damon, as I listened to their conversation every now and then.

"Hey, need some help?" I turned around to face Elena at the kitchen entrance and I smiled.

"Is Caroline being a nuisance?" Elena chuckled and I took that as a yes. I waved the towel at her, "Then, feel free to take over dish washing duty."

We were almost done washing and drying the dishes when Damon came in, holding a glass in his hand, "One more."

I stiffened at his presence.

Thinking of ways to hurt him was easy. Actually able to do them if they were needed? Not so easy. So, I gave my towel to Elena and said, "I'll go check if there are more dirty dishes," and excused myself to the living room.

* * *

Bonnie, Stefan, Caroline, and I talked for a bit before the two girls went to the kitchen. Moments later, Damon came into the living room and took a seat on the chair next to me.

"So what are you two kids talking about?" he asked with a small smirk.

I forced on my best fake smile and said, "Oh, we were just talking about Caroline's obsession's with scarfs lately. I mean, don't get me wrong, they look fabulous on her, but you never know what kind of _marks_ could be hiding under there." I could see Damon's eyes looking at me with menace, but I kept going, "And I'm pretty sure she's not hiding wrinkles, because as you can see, _she's pretty young, Damon_."

I said the last part with a threatening tone to my voice that the vampire did not like. If Stefan weren't there to protect me, I was far from sure that he would have sucked me dry to the bone.

Instead, his pupils dilated and he said, "Why don't you go see if Elena needs help in the kitchen?"

Compelled by him, I nodded, "I'll go see if Elena needs help in the kitchen," and left.

* * *

_**Third P.O.V**_

The brothers watched as Kelsey left the room with a dazed look on her face.

Stefan turned to his brother, referring to Caroline and her, "They are people, Damon. She's not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to."

Damon shrugged, "Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're _mine for the taking_."

"All right, you've had your fun. You used Caroline . . . and Kels, you got to meet Elena, good for you. Now it's time for you to go," Stefan said, afraid of his brother's words.

"That's not a problem," he leaned in closer to Stefan, "Because, I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with your little cheerleader and her sister whatever I want to do. Because that is what is normal to me."

Stefan clenched his jaw as Damon put his hand on his shoulder.

* * *

_**Kelsey's P.O.V**_

The street lights buzzed as I was taking a short jog before the night ended. My chest heaved as I decided to make a stop just a few houses from home. Feeling extremely hot, I failed at noticing the sudden drop in temperature until I got chills on my bare arms.

There was a sudden feeling of someone behind me, so I turned around, but saw no one. Strange.

Getting a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I continued to walk along the sidewalk.

It wasn't that I took my seventh step that I heard something. The sound was soft at first, and it was hard to tell what was making the mysterious noise. Growing louder, I picked up my pace when I realized that it was the sound of beating wings that was making the noise.

Walking became running as the caws of the big bird rang in my ears, and images of the attack in the woods unfolded before me.

I let out a shrill scream as the scenery changed and I was standing in the forest with the large crow standing on a tree branch, his black eyes staring directly at me.

The black bird flew to me and I covered my face with my hands, screaming, "Stop! Please, stop this!"

There was dead silence all of a sudden. Thinking that the bird had listened to me, I withdrew my hands from my face and opened my eyes to see that pair of cold blue eyes staring back at me.

Without second thoughts, I took off in a run, but I knew that it was useless. I knew that I was pathetic to think that _I_ could actually stand a chance against a vampire.

Damon only was mocking me with giving me a chance to run away, but I had to try.

Finally, he decided to stop playing around, and in a flash he was standing in front of me.

Although it was dark, I could see that his face had transformed as he grabbed me by both arms and whispered into my ear, "You can train all you want to, Kelsey, but I would _always_ be stronger than you."

He pulled back and gave me a wicked smile as he bit into my neck with his sharp fangs.

Painful screams escaped my mouth as I fought him, but all it did was make it hurt more.

* * *

I woke up with a loud scream as I was covered in sweat, my body shaking violently from fear.

Jolting up from my bed, I looked at the window and saw a single black feather on the window sill. Again, I could feel the blood slide down my throat and Damon's fangs digging into my skin as he fed off of me and I let out a sob.

"Damn you! Damn you!" I shouted out into the room, backing away from the bird's feather and against a wall.

Curling up into a ball on the carpeted floor, I cried until Elena came in with a worried look on her face.

"Kelsey, what's wrong? What happened? Are you okay?" she bombarded me with questions while opening her arms and hugged me.

"I'm fine," I let out with a shaky voice. Wiping off my tears with my trembling hands, I nodded, "It' okay, Elena. I had a dream- a bad dream- that's all."

I looked at her, trying to assure her that I was feeling better but I couldn't contain my tears, so I let out another sob.

The brunette hugged me tighter and stroke my hair as she cooed, "Shh, it's all right. Everything's going to be fine. It was just a nightmare, Kels."

I nodded, trying to calm down, and felt glad that she was here to comfort me. After a few minutes, we stood up from the floor and I got on my bed, Elena sitting beside me. She stayed there until I fell asleep.

* * *

The school campus was filled with people ready for the football game that evening. I was wandering around the place until Stefan spotted me and came my way.

"Hey, Stefan," I smiled, looking at him dressed in the team's jersey.

He smiled, taking out a small wooden box as he said, "I wanted you to have this." He opened it to reveal a locket necklace inside, "It has an herb inside it that can prevent vampires from compelling humans. As long as you keep this on you, Damon won't be able to control your mind. I've already gave one to Elena, just in case."

As he put the necklace around my neck, I said with complete sincerity, "Thank you, Stefan."

"There's no need to," he said, I feeling that he was blaming himself for all that had happened to me.

"It's not your fault, Stefan," I told him, meeting his gaze. "You know that, right?"

There was doubt in his eyes for a second, but he blinked it off, and nodded, "I know."

With that, he turned around and left to the boy's locker room to prepare for the game.

* * *

It was night now and everyone was gathered around outside the school's stadium as Mr. Tanner gave his speech.

"Let's be honest here. In the past, we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!" The crowded booed at this as the coach stood tall on the podium. "But that is about to change. We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!"

The crowd cheered loudly and I did, too, as I looked at Stefan who was smiling shyly. My eyes turned to Tyler Lockwood, and I could tell that he seemed pissed by the attention Stefan was getting as he stalked off.

Meanwhile, Tanner continued, "I have only one thing to say to you: we, Timberwolves, are hungry."

The crowd went nuts, all of them cheering and clapping loudly as I fight between Jeremy and Tyler began to take place.

At first, they were just throwing words at each other but it got physical really fast, and all the people began to circle around the fight. I searched for Elena in the crowd as I heard Vicky shouting at them to stop fighting. Seeing that Elena was not anywhere close, I looked back to the fight to see that Stefan had gotten between Jeremy and Tyler.

He was trying to fight off Tyler, who was fighting him to get to Jeremy. I looked down at Jeremy and saw that he had a broken glass beer bottle in his hands.

Knowing what he was going to do, I held out my hand, warning Stefan, "No, Stefan!"

He turned to Jeremy just in time to throw Tyler to safety, but he didn't have time to move as Jeremy strikes him with the broken glass bottle, cutting Stefan's hand.

"What the hell, Jeremy?" Elena came rushing to her brother to see what was wrong with him. As soon as she was done, she turned to Stefan, who had been trying to hide his healing cut from her. "Oh, my God, your hand," she let out, seeing the cut earlier on his hand.

Stefan pulled his hand away and tried to hide it from her, saying, "No, no, no, it's fine."

She insisted, "Is it deep? How bad is it? Come on." When he didn't show his hand, she grabbed it and opened his palm, which was intact with only smeared blood on it. Befuddled, Elena looked up at him, "But . . . I saw it, it was . . ."

"He missed. It's not my blood. See? I'm fine," Stefan tried to explain.

Elena was confused and wouldn't let it go, so I stepped in and grabbed her arm, "Come on, 'Lena."

Giving Stefan a final look, she nodded and came with me with no other questions.

* * *

I was putting away my jacket in the car, not needing it when it wasn't cold outside. The night was a little chilly but not cold enough to wear a jacket, and carrying it around was making my arm hurt.

Grabbing the car keys, I locked the vehicle and turned around to leave the parking lot.

"Damon," I gasped. Taking a step back against the car, I said, "Get away from me."

He rose his hands up, and told me, "Hey, I just came here to apologize."

"No, you didn't," I blurted out, my heart beat racing and my palms becoming sweaty under his blue-eyed gaze.

He only smirked, taking a step closer to me, "Look, I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. That's not my intention."

Now, angry that he was lying, I took in a deep breath and straightened up. "Yes, it is. Since the beginning, it has been. With Vicky, Caroline, _and_ me."

He nodded, "You're right, I do have other intentions. But so do you."

"No, I don't," I answered, not knowing what he was going with is.

"Mm-hmm. I see 'em. You want me." He took a step closer and I pressed myself harder against the back of the car as he said, "I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you even dreamed about me . . ."

His words made me start to shake with fear and I shook my head, muttering, "No, stop."

However, he kept going. This time compelling me, "And right now, you want to kiss me."

For a moment, my eyes stared down at his lips and I felt the need to kiss them, but I stopped myself before I had the chance to. I mentally thanked Stefan for the vervain necklace and pulled away from Damon, smacking his cheek with my palm, the sweat making the strike harder than I intended but I didn't care. Actually, I was proud of myself when I heard the loud smacking sound of the slap, causing Damon to back away a few steps since he was clearly taken by surprise.

This time, I was the one who took a step closer to him, and told him, "Yes, you are much stronger than me, Damon . . . but not this time. "

* * *

**_Third P.O.V._**

Mat was talking to Stefan on their way to the locker room, apologizing for how he acted at practice the other day and wishing him good luck at the game tonight, before he walked on and left Stefan behind, who had a small smile on his lips.

Hearing claps, Stefan turned around to see his brother hiding in the shadows of the building and his smiled disappeared.

"Isn't that nice? Stefan joins a team, makes a friend. It's all so, 'rah, rah, go team, yeah!'" Damon mocked.

Serious, Stefan said, "Not tonight. I'm done with you," before turning around to leave.

Damon sped in front of him to stop him and said, "Nice trick with Kelsey. Let me guess: vervain in the necklace?" Stefan clenched his jaw and looked away from his brother momentarily, angry that he had gone after Kelsey again. "I admit, I was a bit surprised. It's been a while since anyone could resist my compulsion. Where'd you get it?"

"Does it matter?" he answered and started to walk away.

Not moving, Damon said to his brother, "Guess I could just seduce her the old-fashioned way. Or I could just . . . eat her."

Stefan stopped and turned around, "No. You're not gonna hurt her, Damon."

"No?" Damon turned around to face him, as if saying 'try me'.

"Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be."

"Who's pretending?" Damon smirked.

"Then kill me," said Stefan.

"Well, I'm . . . I'm tempted."

"No, you're not. You've had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I'm still alive. And there you are. You're still haunting me. After _145_ years. Katherine is _dead_. And you hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, is your humanity," Stefan stepped back, Damon shaking his head.

"Salvatore! What the hell?!" Mr. Tanner found the two behind the school building. "We've got a game to play!" he prompted Stefan.

He turned to the coach, but Damon stopped him as he said with a smirk, "If that's my humanity . . . then what's this?"

His brother let out a growl, and went after the man, ripping his throat open right away. The body dropped to the hard concrete with a loud thump as Damon turned around, face transformed and with blood all over, to face a stunned Stefan. "Anyone. Anytime. Any place. "

With that, Damon left in a blur, leaving Stefan with the dead body alone.

**A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked it as much as I loved writing it! Next up will be Family Ties, which would up I don't know when (but hopefully soon) because next week is gonna be really hectic with the after-school activities that I have to attend to, so I won't have much time to write the next episode. But don't fret, I will be continuing with this story! **

**And for those who are reading my other TVD (it's a Stefan/OC, btw, called "Show Me Love". For those who haven't read it yet), I haven't forgotten about it. Actually, since I didn't have an actual plot for that story, I was thinking to make it a Cinderella-verse plot but with my own personal twist to it. Um, please tell me if you would like that or you would rather leave it like it is. Either way, I'm NOT going to abandon it, but I will be so happy if it were okay with you guys to change it to a Cinderella-verse story, though. **

**Anyways, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and please make sure to check out Kelsey's outfit on my Polyvore profile (link can be found on my profile)! I wish you all a good day/night and see you until next time y'all! :D**


End file.
